• Home
  • About
    • In The Media
    • Contact Me
  • Where I’ve Been
    • UNESCO World Heritage Sites
    • Bucket List
  • Travel Resources

Pack Me To

Part time traveler, full time explorer

  • Destinations
    • Asia
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Japan
      • Myanmar
    • Europe
      • Austria
      • Bulgaria
      • Croatia
      • Czech Republic
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Hungary
      • Slovenia
    • North America
      • Canada
        • Alberta
        • British Columbia
        • Manitoba
        • Ontario
      • USA
        • California
        • Illinois
        • Massachusetts
        • New York
        • Oregon
        • Washington
        • Wisconsin
  • Tasty Bites
  • Living Abroad
  • Travel Tips
  • Reviews
    • Accommodation
    • Gear
    • Tours
  • Inspiration
You are here: Home / Destinations / Skiing Slovakia

Skiing Slovakia

01/26/14 | Destinations, Europe, Slovakia


Some posts on this site contain affiliate links, meaning if you book or buy something through one of these links, I may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you!). You can read my full disclosure policy here.

While living in Budapest, a couple friends and I made the trek out to a little village in Slovakia for a spot of skiing. Zdiar, Slovakia is located near the Polish border in the High Tatras mountain range, on the outskirts of the Tatra National Park. Its pretty much in the middle of nowhere making it the perfect place for a retreat.

The View from Above | Zdiar, SlovakiaWe were staying at a hostel called the Ginger Monkey. I would highly recommend this place. The hostel has a really great family feel to it and all the people are super nice and helpful. The best thing is they have a dog named Wally and he is the cutest thing ever. He steals everyone’s heart.

Wally @ The Ginger Monkey Hostel | Zdiar

Adorable Wally! He loved to play catch with snow balls

Getting to Zdiar is a bit tricky as it is a fairly small village in what seems to be the middle of nowhere. From Budapest, we had to take two trains and a bus. The first train left at 6:30 in the morning and that was rather painful to get up for, but taking the early train meant we arrived fair early in the day. The first thing I see when I get off the train in Poprad are these massive mountains off to the distance. They were gorgeous. We got into a tiny bus and headed towards them. They looked almost as if they were painted on to the sky. It was surreal.

@ The Train Station | Poprad, Slovakia

First glimpse of the mountains immediately after getting off the train.

Quaint is the only way to properly describe the village. Tiny wooden houses under a couple feet of snow. They even have their own museum!

Around Town | Zdiar, SlovakiaOur first order of business was to go sledding in the fresh powder. We all donned some onesies made available to us by the hostel and headed out to play in the snow.

Attempting a Snow Angel | Zdiar, Slovakia

Don’t I look awesome?

We climbed up this massive hill. The snow made it so difficult . You would step into it and then sink a foot down. It was so much work trying to get up the hill. This is the most powdery snow I’ve ever encountered. Snow in Vancouver is just so different. I loved it. Because the snow was so powdery, it took some effort to get a smooth route down the hill. Once someone went down the trail once or twice it was smooth sailing and so much fun.

Enjoying the View | Zdiar, SlovakiaThe next morning we were off skiing. There are two hills near the hostel and both were serviced by a free shuttle. We ended up going to the more advanced hill called Bachledova. It was a decently sized mountain, with plenty of moderate and easy runs, and it wasn’t too over run with people. You could virtually ski right up to the lifts and not have too long of a line – completely different from any other ski experience I’ve had. It had been a long time since I last skied and I was looking forward to hitting the slopes.

The Hill | Bachledova Ski, SlovakiaI was surprised at how inexpensive everything was. We got our rentals for only 8 euros a day. The lift ticket was 17 euros. Not bad for a full day of skiing. Instead of getting a ticket to attach to a zipper like in North America, we were given cards (kind of similar to the ones you get for hotels). To get on a ski lift, you have to scan the card. The ski lifts themselves were fancy. There is a moving conveyor belt to get you to the chair. You don’t have to do a shuffle to get picked up.

Rocking the Yellow Onesie | | Bachledova Ski, Slovakia

Rocking the super hot bright yellow onesie. Everyone was super jealous of course.

The weirdest thing is that they didn’t use the same colours for designating the difficulty of runs. I thought the colors used were pretty universal but it seems in Europe blue runs are the easiest (to me usually it’s green), red runs were medium (normally blue) and black runs were difficult (the same). I was really confused for a long time until I figured out the new colour system.

The Hill | Bachledova Ski, SlovakiaThe difficulty of the mountain wasn’t too high. The black run seemed like more of the intermediate runs that I’m use to. I decided to do some off-piste skiing and promptly flipped myself over my ski and face planted. It was rather hilarious, I wish I could have seen myself do it. It was right by one of the chairlifts too so I guess people going by on the chair had some entertainment. I’ve never done too much off-piste skiing and this was definitely a first for me.

Amazing Powder | Bachledova Ski, Slovakia

I KO’d somewhere here. The snow was so fluffy!

By the end of the day, I was thoroughly exhausted and I could feel the ache in my muscles. Such a great feeling.

Sunday was spent relaxing in the hostel before boarding a bus and two trains back to Budapest. All in all, hospital visit aside, it was a great weekend away in the mountains, playing in the snow. I mean, who can deny waking up to this every morning?

Picture Perfect | Zdiar, Slovakia

PERFECTION!

Do you like skiing? What is your favorite mountain?

If you’re new to Pack Me To, welcome! Stay on top of my adventures on Facebook and following me on Twitter & Instagram.

Sign up to receive monthly updates and exclusive giveaways:

« The Time I Went Skiing in Slovakia and Ended Up in the Hospital
Best Reads: January 2014 »

Comments

  1. Emma says

    January 26, 2014 at 9:00 AM

    That looks absolutely amazing… The scenery is stunning, and I love your last picture especially! 🙂

    • Adelina says

      February 4, 2014 at 4:41 PM

      I still dream of that view. It was perfection.

  2. Caitlyn says

    January 26, 2014 at 1:31 PM

    Wow! I’ve never been skiing (not exactly popular in Australia) but with scenery like that, looks like I’m definitely missing out 🙂

    • Adelina says

      February 4, 2014 at 4:41 PM

      Time to give it a try! It can be a bit daunting at first, but its fun 🙂

  3. Mrs. Chasing the Donkey says

    January 26, 2014 at 3:03 PM

    Ohhh man, what a trip! Isnt it so cool to be able to say I just popped on over to another country to ski??!! Love Europe! Happy Travels.

    • Adelina says

      February 4, 2014 at 4:40 PM

      I know! Europe is so cool 🙂

  4. frankaboutcroatia says

    January 26, 2014 at 5:05 PM

    Your article brought me bacj some fun memeories. I’ve been skiing in High Tatras mountain range back when I was in the elementary school. Don’t remember anymore the name of the village, but it could as well be Zdiar. I do remeber how bad I was skiing. It still hurts 🙂

    • Adelina says

      February 4, 2014 at 4:39 PM

      It’s a surprisingly beautiful area to ski.

  5. Dave says

    January 26, 2014 at 5:18 PM

    I am ready to adopt Wally. No snow for me this year, so thanks for sharing this trip so I could live vicariously through you.

    • Adelina says

      February 4, 2014 at 4:39 PM

      Wally is the most adorable dog ever! Enjoy the sun 🙂

  6. Samantha says

    January 26, 2014 at 6:35 PM

    This looks so fun! I snowboard and miss it a ton. ALwyas wanted to go somewhere in Europe and this looks like a beautiful place.

  7. A Southern Gypsy says

    January 26, 2014 at 7:02 PM

    These photos are great and it looks like you had a great time! I wish I wasn’t terrified of skiing now (I tore my ACL doing it). It might be the only thing I’m scared of trying again haha.

    • Adelina says

      February 4, 2014 at 4:38 PM

      I understand! I have a crappy knee too and this last week in France it was not happy 🙁 Maybe you could give snowboarding a go?

  8. Lunaguava says

    January 26, 2014 at 10:24 PM

    Although snow couldn’t be farther from our minds right now, being in Guatemala and all, it looks like a great trip! Love the photos as well – the mountains look particularly stunning. Good luck and safe travels!

    • Adelina says

      February 4, 2014 at 4:36 PM

      Thanks! I’m dreaming of sun and warmth now under all this winter.

  9. Travis says

    January 26, 2014 at 7:28 PM

    Great post and your photos are beautiful. We actually passed through Zdiar on our way from Poland to Budapest but it was almost too dark to see the mountains – they look so much more spectacular in the sunlight!

    • Adelina says

      February 4, 2014 at 4:37 PM

      They’re definitely worth a visit in the daylight 🙂

  10. Sammi says

    January 27, 2014 at 5:04 PM

    It looks so beautiful 🙂

    I’ve never been skiing before, it looks fun and I think Eastern (central/ eastern) Europe seems like the cheapest place to go, though I think I’d want to try snowboarding more 🙂

    • Adelina says

      February 4, 2014 at 4:36 PM

      I hear the beginning part of learning how to snowboard is hard, but once you get it, you’re set 🙂 You should give it a go!

  11. Jess says

    January 28, 2014 at 3:37 AM

    ‘Quaint’ definitely seems like the right word. I haven’t been skiing in a long time, but I’d be tempted to take it up again if I could try in a place this pretty!

    • Adelina says

      February 4, 2014 at 4:35 PM

      Definitely worth it!

  12. Martin Koska says

    December 17, 2014 at 11:06 PM

    Hello. I can suggest skiing in Jasna and other resorts in Low Tatras. For inspiration: http://www.travelslovakia.sk/blog/skiing-low-tatras-slovakia

    Martin from Slovakia

Welcome to Pack Me To!

Adelina is a part time traveler, exploring the world despite having a full-time job. Pack Me To is a collection of stories from her travels and adventures around the world as she packs you to destinations around the world with her.

Adelina has been traveling for as long as she can remember and has lived abroad in the Netherlands and Hungary. She loves telling stories, and eating and exploring her way around the world. Come along for the ride. Read More…

Let’s connect!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Popular Destinations

Sign up to receive monthly updates and exclusive giveaways:

Recent Posts

  • 7 Destinations to Experience Game of Thrones in Real Life
  • My Date with a Dinosaur in Drumheller, Alberta
  • Inside the Agra Fort: Highlights from the Red Fort of Agra
  • Finding Peace and Hope in Hiroshima
  • The Hostel Chains of Japan In Review

Privacy & Disclosure

Pack Me To is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Read the site’s full Privacy and Disclosure policy here.

Copyright © 2023

Copyright © 2023 · Tasteful Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in